


A Tale of Fog and Mist

by QueenClavel



Series: Avatar: The Tale of Korena [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Original Work
Genre: Aang is dead, Air Nomads (Avatar), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Fire Nation (Avatar), Foggy Swamp Tribe, Multi, Original Character-centric, Water Tribe(s) (Avatar), sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24790609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenClavel/pseuds/QueenClavel
Summary: Seventeen years ago, a cry was heard from the Western Air Temple. It was said too be from the Avatar, an Airbender, who died protecting his people. The genocide still happened, and neither the Northern Water Tribe or the Southern Water Tribe has reported discovering the new Avatar. People are beginning to lose hope, and Fire Lord Azulon's reign has been one of terror for both Water Tribes, and the Earth Kingdom. A few Air Nomads still survive, hiding in places from the Fire Nation and wishing they could restore balance, but Hope is dwindling. I still believe an avatar is out there, but, I don't know how longer I can believe that.Avatar AU where Aang died in the Air Nomad Genocide, and the Avatar is born into the Foggy Swamp Tribe. Hi-jinx ensues.
Series: Avatar: The Tale of Korena [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1793077
Kudos: 7





	A Tale of Fog and Mist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction too two main characters, Korena, the Avatar, and her friend Liza, a Non-Bender who possesses the only braincell out of the main cast. She also has a knife.

Beetles were common place in the Foggy Swamp. They were giant, too, and the members of the tribe usually hunted them, wherever it be for food or for practice. It was hard work, as their golden brown shells were hard, like stone, or perhaps steel, but the tribesmen had learned how to hunt them down. They could be heard all throughout the swamp, a soft buzzing noise, like a chirp but more distorted, and at night, it was a symphony of different tones and cries of the giant beetle, and the swamp tribe usually kept them around too soothe them to sleep, or too play music during festivals, or the closest thing they had too festivals. Suffice to say, the Beetles were both sacred, and hard to kill anyways. 

Korena, however, had just torn off the arm of a still living one, the blood and goo from the beetle in her left hand spewing out into the murky waters, before the sixteen year old took a bite into the arm, plucking out the raw sweet meat from inside the bugs shell. Korena was just a girl of sixteen, someone who should have by then really figured out that eating raw meat was a foolish thing to do, but the brown haired girl wasn't one too care about getting poisoned by her food, or catching sickness from standing in the swamp water. After all, her people had gotten used to things like that, especially the former of those two things. 

She was a girl of sixteen, with black hair so long it covered the tattoos on the back of her light brown skin. Her tattoos were markings traditional for what she was, a crescent moon on her right palm, a full moon on her left, and spread out across her back, a spirit, resembling a kite of sorts, that her tribe had all but forgotten the meaning of, but knew was inside of her. Korena of the Foggy Swamp was waterbender, shown by her sapphire blue eyes, but not only that, she was the Avatar. There had been a total of two previous avatars born too the tribe, but Korena was the only one who mattered. The two previous avatars had came and gone during a time of peace, but Korena was going too have to deal with the outside world at some point. If the Elder of the tribe ever told her, that was.

"You really shouldn't just tear apart a beetle like that, Its kind of gross, Korena," Liza stated, watching Korena breaking apart the shell of the creature with a dagger, "and it's not exactly safe."

"Yeah, yeah, I know Liza, but like, I'm not really bothered about getting sick. I mean, we've all had your dads cooking, I think we'll be fine." She chuckled, turning too face her friend. Liza was a girl who worried about her friends, and was probably one of the smartest people in the tribe. No one was ever sure where she got her brains from, especially considering her mother wasn't the sharpest brain and her father barely had a brain at all. "All i'm saying is that you should be careful. At least only eat the arms, those are usually good without..." Liza trailed off, watching the bender dig right into the beetles chest, eating the sweet meat under the exoskeleton, "...cooking it"

"You aren't going to have to worry, Liza! I'll be fine." She laughed.

The next few chapters will not be using Korena as the point of view, so I think the readers deserve to know, that Korena was not going to be fine, and that she was going to get a bad case of food poisoning. She recovers, obviously, but Liza was still right about Korena getting food poisoning. Liza is right about a lot of things, but never has she bragged about it. Except for when Korena gets the food poisoning, as she rubs it in her face when she does.

Korena lifted herself back onto the skiff, the boats used by her tribe, handing a small knife to the non-bender. The knife was covered in beetle juice, Liza quickly plucking the knife into the swamp water to clean it. "That was my grandma's knife. You just ruined it. Beetle juice can ruin stuff, Korey!" she exclaimed, watching as her friend began to move the boat. Korena's arms moved like a windmill, slow and steady as not too upset anything in the water as the skiff moved. The bending style of the swamp tribe was mostly like that, preferring rounded movements too assist in manipulating the murky waters. 

"I'm sorry, Liza. I probably shouldn't have used your knife, its just its really good at getting through the shell." Korena sighed as she moved the skiff, "I can try and sharpen it. Head out the swamp to that one city, get someone there to sharpen it."

"Korena, you know the rules. We're not meant too leave the swamp, its dangerous..." 

"And? I'm a powerful waterbender, if I take a jar of water I doubt anyone will be able too hurt me while i'm there!"

"That's not the point though! You should try and avoid leaving the swamps or the village, Elder Hern would be furious!"

"And he's an old man! All he's got on me is that he's a better bender, and if I recall, he said I'm ready to learn Plantbending, so I don't think he wants too blame me for helping a friend! If anything, he would encourage that I help you, as it tightens our bond!" She said, her voice full of cheer. Hern was a man who was obsessed with balance and order, saying that true freedom came from the bonds they had with other people, and that the right bond would free them.

"I mean, yeah, but Korey, it could be dangerous, and I don't want you too get hurt." Liza pointed out, "So no, you're not going. End of story."

"You cant tell me what to do, your not my mom!" Korena said, a grin on her face, "I don't have to do what you say!"

"But Korena..." Liza smiled, an equally as cheeky grin on her face, "I am your mother! Hahaha!"

"No! Now I have to do as you say due too the respect I was taught to have for my parents!" she wailed, before bursting out laughing, Liza eventually joining her in that regard. "Okay but seriously, don't go." Liza told her. "If you insist, Liz." 

The two continued to talk while the boat moved, mainly about what they thought the outside world was like. Korena had been out of the swamp only once, as a five year old, which she couldn't remember, and Liza had never been outside of it. They talked and talked about what the world must be like, how beautiful it must be and what animals it must have, as well as what the people were like. Only one person had ever met with outsiders, and it was elder Hern. Korena hoped he would take her out their someday, for training of some kind, or maybe so that she could find a waterbending teacher somewhere else, whereas Liza wanted to escape the foggy bottom swamp too study the outside world, too gain a better understanding of what it must have been like. The skiff pulled up too the makeshift village, Liza saying goodbye too her friend, taking a bag full of scavenged fruit too the cooking pot in the center of the town. Korena stood up, tying the boat down too avoid it getting away, before she headed off. 

The village was small, despite how many people were in the tribe, mainly because there wasn't many houses. The people of the tribe preferred to live in the trees, or on their skiffs, or just sleep on the floor in a pile of leaves with a catgator. Korena had her own catgator, a mighty beast, strong and powerful, by the name of Whiskers, but she always slept on a hammock in her family's house. As she headed too her house, she waved at the neighbours, or at the other tribesmen. The tribe was less of a tribe, more of just a bunch of friendly people in a community together. There was little order, apart from the fact that Hern was considered an elder, but that, for the most part, was it. There wasn't much else, as otherwise the tribe would just fall into anarchy. Although, it kind of was anarchy. There was no rules, other than to not hurt one another, and most people abided by that rule. It was a simple way of living, and it was nice. Relaxing, but a bit boring. Korena wanted too leave at some point, to see what the world was like. She didn't want to be stuck in the boredom that was swamp life.

"Hey! I'm hom-" Korena spoke, walking into her room and stopping. It wasn't her place too speak right now. Her father, dressed in wooden armor and holding a spear, was engaged in argument with Elder Hern, in the loincloths most males in the tribe wore. "Who do you think you are!" her father yelled at the man. He had a rough voice, like the bark of the trees around them, but she had seen it when it was as soft as the leaves on the trees. "Who do you think you are, keeping the truth away from my daughter!"

"I do what I do too help this tribe, Aren!" the Waterbender yelled back, his arms folded, "She would leave, and then die, just like most people who leave the swamp do if she knew the truth."

"The world needs her. We've both been out the swamps, we know whats going to happen, Hern!"

"And? We'll be safe, they don't even know we exist!"

"So what? You speak of balance and bonds and yet you refuse to bring balance too the rest of the world!"

"Uhm...what's going on?" Korena finally asked, the two men turning too face her. Her father looked thankful for her arrival, whereas Hern looked...agitated. "Hello, Korena my dear. Me and your father were just...having a disagreement about something." Hern told her, "about something related to you."

"What exactly did you two disagree upon?"

"My daughter, theres something we've been keeping from you. You were meant too learn a few months ago, when you turned sixteen years of age, but...Hern kept it from you." Aren spoke solemnly, his eyes full of honesty. "Korena. Waterbending is not the only kind of bending that is possible. Outside the swamp, there lives people who can bend Earth, who can bend Fire, and formerly people who could bend the Air. The outside world is strange, and its currently in a state of chaos due too a war breaking out."

"Other kinds of bending, a war? Why do I need to know of this?" Korena asked, her face becoming even more confused.

"Korena, my girl. There is someone who reincarnates, a powerful person who is capable of bending all four elements. They call them the avatar..." Hern spoke, before looking at her father and nodding. "You are the Avatar, Korena. You aren't meant too be in this swamp, you're meant too be out there trying too master all four elements too help bring peace and balance." her father told her.

Korena wasn't sure what too do. She looked confused, shocked, betrayed. All valid responses, especially because she had no idea about any of this, she wasn't told by her father or her teacher, and most of all, she was surprised to hear all of this. Korena looked at them both, then down at the floor. She didn't know what to do about this situation. So, her body deciding to lend her some help, made her vomit out the beetle juice she had accidentally drank earlier, and then pass out. 


End file.
